Former High Court justice Jacob Turkel dies at age 88
Former Supreme Court Justice Jacob Turkel passed away on Monday at the age of 88.
Turkel was born in Tel Aviv in 1935 to Mordechai and Clara Turkel, who immigrated from Austria. He studied law at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
At age 32 he was appointed to the Beersheba Magistrate’s Court, then became president of the Beersheba District Court and, finally, in 1995 was elevated to the High Court of Justice, where he served for 10 years. Turkel has spent nearly 40 years of his life on the bench.
In June 2010, he was appointed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to head the Israeli special independent commission of inquiry, referred to as the Turkel Commission, into the Mavi Marmara incident, during which the Turkish ship attempted to break Israel’s naval blockade of Gaza and was raided by an Israeli naval commando unit leading to the deaths of 10 Turkish activists and injury to 10 soldiers.
After retirement from the court, Turkel became president of the EMET Prize committee, unofficially known as Israel’s Nobel Prize. On taking up this post, Turkel said: “My whole life, I have considered myself a Jewish Zionist. I always saw it as an honor and duty to serve the country.”
Netanyahu conveyed “heartfelt condolences” from “my wife Sara and I... to the family... Justice Turkel contributed greatly to the legal system in Israel and to Israeli society. He was a man of deep integrity, great intelligence and intense love for the country.”
“The life’s journey of retired
Supreme Court Judge Jacob Turkel, who passed from us this morning, was dedicated to the administration of justice and the protection of the citizen’s rights,” President Isaac Herzog said.
“He will be remembered in the history of Israeli law as an opinionated and hard-working jurist, an advocate of the Hebrew law, who always had the Israeli society’s best interests at heart.
“A few months ago I had the privilege of meeting him in my office and hearing his clear opinions on the issues of the day. Condolences to his family, may his memory be blessed.”
“Justice Turkel dedicated his life to doing justice, with a pleasant manner and an independent and groundbreaking approach,” Justice Minister Yariv Levin said.
“Even after his retirement from the bench, Justice Turkel continued to make an important contribution to the State of Israel and the public in a series of positions in which he served.”